Yarn take-up arrangement

ABSTRACT

A chuck for a yarn package core is mounted fixedly but for rotation in a support. Also mounted on the support is a plate on which there are mounted for rotation in axial parallelism a drive roll and a yarn traversing arrangement. The plate is guided by two arms which are each pivoted to the support and to the plate, respectively, so that it can perform an arcuate movement upwardly away from and downwardly towards the chuck. The lower edge of the plate is supported by a pneumatic cylinder and piston arrangement which bears essentially the weight of the cantilevered drive roll and traversing device so that the arms predominantly perform a guidance function. An arrangement for doffing a completed yarn package from the chuck is also provided.

United States Patent [1 1 Miller [4 1 Apr. 30, 1974 YARN TAKE-UP ARRANGEMENT Harry B. Miller, l-lopedale, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Industrie-Werke Karlsruhe Augsburg Aktiengesellschaft, Karlsruhe, Germany 221 Filed: June 15,1972

[21] Appl. No.: 262,973

[75] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 242/18 DD, 242/41, 242/43 [51] Int. Cl B65h 54/42 [58] Field of Search 242/18 DD, 18 R, 41, 43

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,042,324 7/1962 Kinney 242/18 DD 3,355,116 11/1967 Conrad 242/18 DD 3,693,897 9/1972 Davidson 242/18 R 3,697,007 10/1972 Taylor et a1 242/18 DD FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,204,856 8/1959 France 242/41 Primary ExaminerS tanley N. Gilreath Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A chuck for a yarn package core is mounted fixedly but for rotation in a support. Also mounted on the support is a plateon which there are mounted for rotation in axial parallelism a drive roll and a yarn traversing arrangement. The plate is guided by two arms which are each pivoted to the support and to the plate, respectively, so that it can perform an arcuate movement upwardly away from and downwardly towards thechuck. The lower edge of the plate is supported by a pneumatic cylinder and piston arrangement which bears essentially the weight of the cantilevered drive roll and traversing device so that the arms predominantly perform a guidance function. An arrangement for doffing a completed yarn package from the chuck is also provided.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PA TENTED APR 30 I 7 sum 1 or 4 PATENTED APR 3 0 I974 SHEET 2 ll? 4 Mnammma m4 33307647 SHEET 3 [1F 4 l lmj PATENTEBAPR 30 I974 SHEET t (If 4 YARN TAKE-UP ARRANGEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a yarn take-up, and in particular to a device in which yarn is taken up and wound unto a core to form a yarn package.

The requirements made of yarn take-ups are increasingly more stringent as the production of yarns, particularly of man-made yarns, increases in speed. It is highly important that such yarn be wound up under winding conditions which change as little as possible, because variations in the conditions of winding will frequently result in similar and obviously disadvantageous variations in the characteristics of the yarn itself, for instance in the manner in which it will take a dye or the like. I

It is well known in the art that changes in the winding conditions may result from a variety of factors, including imbalance of the components effecting the winding, vibrations or other problems-It is equally well known that winders which are to be used for winding yarn which is man-made, must have a small overall dimension, that is they should occupy as small as possible a space, because the production capability per unit area of floor space of the devices which produce man-made yarns is very high and, consequently, a take-up arrangement which requires a relatively large floor space area for installation, necessitates that the number of yarnproducing devices which can be installed in the same amountof floor space and are capable of supplying yarn to the winding arrangement, must be cut down because the winding arrangement could not handle the yarn supplied by all of them. This, of course, increases the expenses involved and reduces the economy of production.

Furthermore, it is desirable that such a take-up or winding arrangement be capable of winding a rather large yarn package and be able to operate with very narrow winder gauge. Evidently, large yarn packages become more desirable as labor costs in particular continue to rise, because a large package requires less handling than a smaller package not only in terms of its initial production but-also when used as a supply where it will last longer before it has to be replaced. Finally, there is also a longer distance between knots of the yarn wound unto a single large package as opposed to having to utilize successions of smaller packages whose yarn must be connected and thus form the aforementioned knots.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION For all of these reasons it is a general object of the invention to provide an improved yarn take-up arrangement which provides definite advantages over what is known from the prior art, and in particular affords the advantages which have been outlined above as desirable.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide such improved take-up arrangement which is capable of winding yarn packages considerably larger than those heretofore capable of production on the known arrangements.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a yarn take-up arrangement which substantially reduces the vibrations and imbalances which have heretofore been so objectionable in terms of influencing the yarn winding conditions.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide such an improved" yarn take-up arrangement which is capable of operating at very high speeds.

In pursuance of these objects and of others which will become apparant hereafter, one feature of the inventions resides in a yarn take-up arrangement which, briefly stated, comprises fixed first support means, and second support means mounted on the first support means for rotation about the first axis and being adapted to carry a core on which a yarn package is to be formed by winding the yarnonto the core. Third support means is mounted on the first support means for pivotal movement about a second axis parallelling the first axis. Drive roll means is carried'by the third support means formovement therewith and is mounted forrotation about a third axis parallelling the first and second axes. The drive roll means has friction contact with the periphery of a core on the second support means and pivots about the second axis in an arcuate path relative to the second support means, in response to the build-up of a yarn package on the core. Yarn traversing means is mounted on and movable with the third support means, being rotatable about a fourth axis and serving to receive yarn and to traverse the yarn axially back and forth on the core to form a yarn package The third support means is guided for movement in an arcuate path so that the drive roll means carried by the third support means will perform a similar movement, and the third support means is guided for this movement by a pair of trapezium arms which constitute a trapezium linkage which will be described later.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a somewhat .diagrammatic end-elevational view of an arrangement according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view, somewhat diagrammatic and with portions omitted for the sake of clarity of FIG. 1;

' FIG. 3 is a top-plan view of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the movement of the drive roll in the apparatus of FIGS. 1-3.

' DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing the drawing in detail it will be seen that in the novel yarn take-up arrangement which is illustrated in the drawing by way of example, reference numeral 9 designates a machine frame or support which in the illustrated embodiment is essentially of L-shaped arrangement when viewed in side elevation. A chuck l of known construction is carried by the upright portion of the frame 9 in cantilever arrangement. Thus, the chuck 1 can rotate about its longitudinal axis but is otherwise fixed on and with respect to the frame 9. The chuck 1 is of a type well known to those skilled in the art and serves to carry a core or bobbin tube which is slipped unto it and unto which a yarn package is to be wound. thus, during the winding operation the chuck 1 and the non-illustrated core together rotate about a fixed axis, that is the axis of rotation of the chuck.

Also mounted on the frame 9 and more particularly on the upright portion thereof, is a support in form of a plate-shaped component 4 which is capable of movement between an upper and a lower position, the latter being shown in FIG. 1 in full lines and the upper position being shown in broken lines. The movement performed in upright direction by this plate 4 is arcuate and will be discussed subsequently. The plate 4 is guided for such movement by an upper trapezium arm 5A and a lower trapezium arm 58. The upper arm is connected via bearing with the upright portion of the frame 9 adjacent that lateral edge portion of plate 4 which is closest to the axis of rotation of chuck l, and via bearing 21 with the plate 4. The lower arm 58 is spaced downwardly from the arm 5A and connected via bearings 22 and 23 with the upright portion of frame 9 adjacent that edge portion of plate 4 which is closest to the axis of rotation of chuck 1, and with the plate 4, respectively. The upper arm is of a different length than the lower arm, and together they act in the form of a trapezium linkage, forcing the plate 4, when the latter is subjected to a force tending to lift it (as seen in FIG. 1) to move from the full-line lower position to'the broken line upper position in an arcuate path, and to return in the same path.

The trapezium linkage constitutes an important aspect of the invention, because it makes it possible for the face of the traverse to be at all times in parallel alignment with the yarn line coming from a single point. Thus, the point from which the yarn moves to the winder can change during the earlier-mentioned arcuate movement, and the face of the traverse can thereby remain parallel to the yarn line.

A drive roll 2 is provided on the plate 4, projecting from a first major surface thereof in cantilever fashion and being rotatable about its own longitudinal axis. Adjacent to the drive roll 2, also projecting in cantilever fashion and being carried by the plate 4, is a traverse arrangement 3. The drive roll 2 is driven by a motor 6 which is arranged in line with its longitudinal axis and the traverse arrangement 3 is driven by a traverse motor 7 which is similarly arranged, The motors 6 and 7 are located at a second major surface of the plate 4 remotefrom the first major surface at which the drive roll 2 and traverse arrangement 3 extend in cantilever fashion, so as to counterbalance the weight of the drive roll and traverse arrangement.

It will be appreciated that when the winding operation begins, that is when a core has been slipped onto the chuck 1, the drive roll 2 will be in contact with the surface of the core and will thus rotate the same and the chuck l with constant peripheral speed; this contact continues as the yarn accumulates on the core until finally the maximum package dimension MPD has been reached which is shown in broken lines in FIG. 1.

During all this time the drive roll 2 will be in engagement with the outer circumference, first of the core and subsequently of the package which increases in diameter, and as a result the roll 2 together with the traverse 3 of the plate 4 will be forced farther and farther away from the axis of rotation of the chuck l but will remain in engagement with the outer diameter of the package due to the force of gravity.

Reference numeral 8 identifies apneumatic cylinder and piston unit connected with the plate 4 'at pivot 8A and with the frame 9 a pivot 8B (see FIG. 1 in particular), and that is important because the pivot point location takes the load off the bearings 20, 21 and 22, 23 of the trapezium arms 5A and 5B which thus are capable of functioning essentially to guide the plate 4 and to prevent gyration, instability and vibrations. The pivot point 8A is slightly off center relative to the weight, as seen from left to right'in FIG. 1, but this is not detrimental since the distance is short and the bearings of the arms 5A and 5B are almost in line with the force.

The arm 58 is equipped with self-aligning roller bear ings 22, 23 to prevent binding, but at the same time aids in supporting the entire assembly as wellas to provide for adjustment of the arrangement which it defines with the plate 4 and arm 5A.

Reference numeral 24 identifies the shaft of the drive roll 2 which connects'with the motor 6.-

A bobbin or package 'doffing mechanism 10 is provided, being necessary to doff or eject the finished package having the package diameter MBD from the chuck 1. The package which can be wound on the arrangement according to the present invention is very large, by comparison to what is known from the prior art, and may weigh in excess of 200 pounds. Because of this the mechanism 10 is provided, having a screw 25 extending in axial parallelism with the chuck land being journalled for rotation at its opposite ends by the axially spaced journals 25A. A carriage 26 is movable axially of the screw 25 in response to rotation of the latter, having threads which mesh with those of the screw 25, and an arm 27 extends upwardly from the carriage 26 and has an upper end portion which engages the package and eject the same off the chuck 1 when the carriage 26 moves in the direction towards the left in FIG. 2. A suitable drive, for instance a non-illustrated pneumatic motor serves to rotate the screw 25.

Reference numeral 11 designates a braking mechanism which serves to brake the rotation of the chuck 1. It is advantageous that, in accordance with the invention, the braking mechanism be controlled by the movement of the plate 4 for which purpose the arm 28 of the mechanism 1 l is pivoted at 30 to the frame 9. Its upwardly directed edge or side carries the layer 29 of suitably braking material, for instance leather or another brake pad. The arm 28 extends transversely of the axis of the rotation of the chuck l and has a free end portion provided with astepped bore 33 having an upper narrower portion and lower wider portion in which there is accommodated ahelical compression spring 34. A linkage 31, for instance a, rod or the like, extends through this bore and through the spring 34, carrying at its lower end an abutment 35 which will engage the spring and when the linkage 31 is pulled upwardly will tend to compress the spring. The upper end of the linkage 31 is pivoted at 32 to the plate-4 so that, as the plate is raised due to the increasing package diameter, there will initially be a compression of the spring 34, and only subsequently will the arm 28 be drawn upwardly until it finally engages the chuck 1 with sufficient force to break it to a stop. This is so calculated that the force necessary to brake the chuck l to a stop will become applied when the plate 4 reaches or approaches its upper end position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1.

The movement of the drive roll 2 and of the traverse arrangement 3 and thereby of the plate 4 on which these two components are carried in cantilever fashion,

is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 4, where character PA designates the axis constituting the center of curvature of the arcuate path P in which the drive roll 2 and the plate 4 move between the upper and lower positions of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is self-explanatory except to point out that the lower position which the drive roll and the traverse will assume at the time winding starts, is shown in full lines, whereas two broken-line positions designate an intermediate and the upper end position. It will be seen that the traverse face is always aligned in parallel with the yarn line, with the yarn coming from the same point-whose position in space changes during the arcuate movement.

All other components have been omitted in H6. 4 for the sake of clarity but it will be appreciated that the roll 2 and the traverse 3 are carried by the plate 4.

Because the chuck l in the construction according to the present invention is mounted stationarily except for its rotation about its longitudinal axis, very large packages can be wound without having to fear that the winding conditions are disadvantageously,affected. It is known that when chucks are moved horizontally downward at an angle as is customary in the prior art, the package weight will affect the winding conditions. This fault is avoided by avoiding any movement of the chuck l as the size and weight of the package increases. Ad- .vantageously the chuck is so constructed that it can be driven by a center drive as well as through a hollow mounting shaft if desired.

Because the weight of the drive roll 2 and of the traverse arrangement 3 is not changed as the package increases in size and in weight, the winding conditions are not altered by this assembly either, so that the construction according to the present invention provides for an excellent winding conditions. According to the invention it is advantageous to mount the support shaft for the drive roll 2 stationarily and to drive the roll through its center, thus providing a significant advantage for the driving of long cantilevered drive rolls.

The provision of the trapezium arms 5A and 5B in conjunction with the support of the plate 4 by means of the pneumatic cylinder and piston arrangement 8 assures that the drive roll and the traverse arrangement 3 will be capable of moving up and down in the aforementioned arcuate path in a simple, trouble-free manner, with friction being held to a minimumand with the structural requirements being such as to permit a low cost assembly. The rather long and massive bearings and 21 of the arm 5A need to serve only for stabilizing and controlling the arc of movement and the possibility of misalignment which could affect the smooth and free motion as the plate 4 moves up and down is avoided by the automatic aligning provided by the arm 5A. This is very important because even the slightest misalignment could change the pressure of the drive roll 2 against the yarn package on the chuck 1 resulting in package bulges or deformations which are evidently undesirable. The proper positioning of the pivot points 8A and 8B of the pneumatic counterbalance 8 is of course also important notonly because it counterbalances the heavy assembly'which may weigh approxime ly. 509292912 betray, tbs, weis mt sr ate 4 the drive roll 2 and the traverse arrangement 3, but also it takes the cantilever weight off the bearings of the arms 5A and SB, permitting an infinitely adjustable low pressure on the yarn package throughout the entire range of the package build-up, that is the entire substantially 9-inch movement which the plate 4 performs between its full-line lower position and its broken-line upper position as shown in FIG; 1. The simplicity of this arrangement permits a reduction in the manufacturing expenses because of fewer and less expensive parts and simpler assembly.

The arrangement according to the present invention lends itself particularly well to requirements for very narrow winder gauge and permits the production of exceptionally large yarn packages or bobbins. Thus, the arrangement according to the present invention can be used with a 16 gauge and a large package of up to approximately 25 inches can be wound on the arr ge;

mentfAt the same time, the traverse length of the traversing arrangement 3 along the drive roll 2 can have a dimension of approximately 20 inches, but yet the device according to the present invention has been found in extensive tests to operate fully satisfactorily without any difficulties. In fact, the present device has been run at spin draw speed of over 3,000 meters per minute with live yarn. i

It will be understood that each of theelements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a yarn take-up arrangement, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from thestandpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims,

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a yarn take-up arrangement, in combination, fixed first support means; second support means mounted on said first support means for rotation about a first axis and-being adapted to carry a core on which a yarn package is to be formed by winding of yarn onto said core; third support means mounted on said first support means for pivotal movement in an arcuate path about a second axis parallelling said first axis; drive roll means carried by said third support means for movement therewith and being mounted for rotation about a third axis parallelling said first and second axes, said drive roll means having friction contact with the peripheryof a core on said second support means and pivoting with said third support means about said second axis in said arcuate path relative to said second support means in response to the buildup of a yarn package on said core, between a lower end position which it assumeswhen' formation of said package begins, and an upper end position which it assumes when the yarn package is completed; yarn traversing means mounted on and movable with said third support means, said yarn traversing means being rotatable about a fourth axis and operative for receiving yarn and traversing it axially back and forth on said core to form a yarn package thereon, brake means for braking the rotation of said second support means in response to said drive roll means approaching said upper end position, including a brake arm extending beneath said second support means transversely of said first axis, and having two end sections located at opposite lateral sides of said first axis and one of which is pivoted to said first support means; and linkage means connecting the other of said two end sections with said third support means so that said brake arm is upwardly pivoted into braking engagement with said second support means at least when said third support means approaches said upper end position; and doffing means for doffing a completed yarn package from said second support means.

2. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 1; and further comprising guide means for guiding said third support means during pivotal movement thereof about said second axis.

3. ln a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 2, said guide means comprising an elongated first arm having one end portion pivoted to said first support means and an other end portion pivoted to said third support means, and an elongated second arm downwardly spaced from said first arm and also having one end portion pivoted to said first support means and an other end portion pivoted to said first support means downwardly spaced from said first arm.

4. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 3, said third support means having a first upright lateral edge portion closer to and a second upright lateral edge portion laterally offset from said first axis; and wherein said one end portions of said arms are pivoted to said first support means in .the region of said first lateral edge portion and said other end portions of said arms are pivoted to said third support means in the region of said second lateral edge portion.

5. ln a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 4, said third support means further having a lower transverse edge portion extending between said upright lateral edge portions; and further comprising pneumatic balancing means engaging said lower edge portion from below intermediate said other end portions and said first upright lateral edge portion for supporting and balancing said third support means.

6. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 3, said third support means being plate-shaped and having a first major surface and a second'major surface which respectively face in opposite directions longitudinally of said axes; said second support means, drive roll means and yarn traversing means all extending outwardly away from said first major surface; and further comprising drive motor means for said drive roll means and said yarn traversing means, said drive motor means also being carried by said third support means but at the side of said second major surface thereof.

7. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 6, said drive motor means comprising a first drive motor for said drive roll means and having an output shaft aligned with said third axis, and a second drive motor for said yarn traversing means and having an output shaft aligned with said fourth axis.

8. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 6, said drive roll means and said yarn traversing means being cantilevered on said third support means; and said drive motor means balancing the weight of said cantilevered drive roll means and said yarn traversing means. 

1. In a yarn take-up arrangement, in combination, fixed first support means; second support means mounted on said first support means for rotation about a first axis and being adapted to carry a core on which a yarn package is to be formed by winding of yarn onto said core; third support means mounted on said first support means for pivotal movement in an arcuate path about a second axis parallelling said first axis; drive roll means carried by said third support means for movement therewith and being mounted for rotation about a third axis parallelling said first and second axes, said drive roll means having friction contact with the periphery of a core on said second support means and pivoting with said third support means about said second axis in said arcuate path relative to said second support means in response to the buildup of a yarn package on said core, between a lower end position which it assumes when formation of said package begins, and an upper end position which it assumes when the yarn package is completed; yarn traversing means mounted on and movable with said third support means, said yarn traversing means being rotatable about a fourth axis and operative for receiving yarn and traversing it axially back and forth on said core to form a yarn package thereon, brake means for braking the rotation of said second support means in response to said drive roll means approaching said upper end position, including a brake arm extending beneath said second support means transversely of said first axis, and having two end sections located at opposite lateral sides of said first axis and one of which is pivoted to said first support means; and linkage means connecting the other of said two end sections with said third support means so that said brake arm is upwardly pivoted into braking engagement with said second support means at least when said third support means approaches said upper end position; and doffing means for doffing a completed yarn package from said second support means.
 2. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 1; and further comprising guide means for guiding said third support means during pivotal movement thereof about said second axis.
 3. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 2, said guide means comprising an elongated first arm having one end portion pivoted to said first support means and an other end portion pivoted to said third support means, and an elongated second arm downwardly spaced from said first arm and also having one end portion pivoted to said first support means and an other end portion pivoted to said first support means downwardly spaced from said first arm.
 4. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 3, said third support means having a first upright lateral edge portion closer to and a second upright lateral edge portion laterally offset from said first axis; and wherein said one end portions of said arms are pivoted to said first support means in the region of said first lateral edge portion and said other end portions of said arms are pivoted to said third support means in the region of said second lateral edge portion.
 5. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 4, said third support means further having a lower transverse edge portion extending between said upright lateral edge portions; and further comprising pneumatic balancing means engaging said lower edge portion from below intermediate said other end portions and said first upright lateral edge portion for supporting and balancing said third support means.
 6. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 3, said third support means being plate-shaped and having a first major surface and a second major surface which respectively face in opposite directions longitudinally of said axes; said second support means, drive roll means and yarn traversing means all extending outwardly away from said first major surface; and further comprising drive motor means for said drive roll means and said yarn traversing means, said drive motor means also being carried by said third support means but at the side of said second major surface thereof.
 7. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 6, said drive motor means comprising a first drive motor for said drive roll means and having an output shaft aligned with said third axis, and a second drive motor for said yarn traversing means and having an output shaft aligned with said fourth axis.
 8. In a yarn take-up arrangement as defined in claim 6, said drive roll means and said yarn traversing means being cantilevered on said third support means; and said drive motor means balancing the weight of said cantilevered drive roll means and said yarn traversing means. 